


Photographs

by MackenzieW



Series: In Any Universe (OQ Prompt Party) [15]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Domestic Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood, Domestic Fluff, F/M, OQ Prompt Party (Once Upon a Time), Pictures, Prompt Fill, Robin supporting Regina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:09:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25698598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MackenzieW/pseuds/MackenzieW
Summary: Robin discovers a new hobby to go with his new life in Storybrooke: photography. He loves taking pictures of everything but one day, Regina learns he has one favorite subject of them all.Her.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood
Series: In Any Universe (OQ Prompt Party) [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/972261
Comments: 16
Kudos: 28





	Photographs

**Author's Note:**

> _My first entry for OQ Prompt Party 2020, using **prompt 92** : Robin takes candid shots of Regina whenever he's overwhelmed by her beauty._

### Photographs

It had been difficult to find out when Robin's birthday was. He was not one to celebrate himself and so whenever she had asked him about it, he had just shrugged and insisted that it wasn't important. They were alike in that manner though she was starting to enjoy her birthday more and more now that she had friends and family who wanted to celebrate the fact she was in this world.

But like how Robin had learned her birthday from Snow during the Missing Year, Regina went to his friends to find out his. She and the Merry Men were starting to grow more comfortable with each other and she believed they had almost accepted that she was with Robin. Regina knew it had to be a shock to them for him to go from Marian to the Evil Queen, but it seemed many of them were willing to get to know Regina and she was grateful for that chance. So she made it a point to visit their camp whenever she could to keep building her relationship with his men.

For the winter, she had arranged for them to move into Jefferson's old lodge so that they would be warm. Regina went to visit them after they defeated Hades and she could finally think about everything. With the realization that a new year was upon them, she wanted to know when Robin's birthday was so she could prepare and so she asked his men for the date. Little John gave her a knowing smile. "He refuses to tell you, right?"

"Yes," she said. "He's giving me all the same excuses I usually gave for not revealing my birthday and I guess in a way inadvertently giving me a taste of my own medicine. But like he thinks I'm worth celebrating, I think he's worth celebrating and…"

"It's February eighteenth," John said, his smile even bigger. "Only a couple weeks after yours."

She paused, surprised that their birthdays were so close. It also meant she had less than six weeks to put something together. Her one saving grace was that Robin wouldn't want something big. All she would have to do was find the perfect present for him.

But what could she get someone who preferred a simple life and tended to eschew material possessions?

Her question was answered when she overheard a conversation between Robin and Henry one day. Robin complained about how his phone was running out of space and Henry offered to look at it for him. "Oh, I see the issue. You have a lot of pictures saved on the phone, Robin. That's taking up a lot of space. You're going to have to delete some of them," he explained.

"Delete them? But I don't want to lose any of them," Robin replied, sounding concerned.

"We can put them on Mom's computer. You won't lose any of them. They just won't be on your phone," Henry said.

Robin seemed to hesitate. "But I want to be able to see them and not have to bother your mother to do so."

"Then do you want your own computer?" Henry asked.

"Oh, no. I have no need for an entire computer. I just want to take my pictures and see them whenever I want," Robin explained.

And that was when she knew what she wanted to give Robin for his birthday. She went to her computer and quickly ordered everything, paying a little extra to make sure it all arrived on time.

* * *

Though she had his birthday at Granny's a few weeks later, she gave him his presents once they got home. She set the wrapped boxes down in front of him as he sat at the table and he tilted his head. "You didn't have to get me anything," he protested.

"We had this argument a couple weeks ago," she pointed out, fiddling with the silver R she now wore around her neck. "It's just going to end the same way so let's skip it, shall we?"

He smiled, nodding. "Alright, love."

She pushed the presents closer to him. "Open it."

Robin picked up the top box and pulled off the wrapping paper to reveal the camera underneath it. His eyes widened and Regina smiled. "I overheard you and Henry talking about all the pictures you have on your phone. So I thought I would get you an actual camera and one that was small enough for you to take with you."

"I love it," he said, looking over the box. "And will it store the pictures so I can look at them whenever I want?"

"Yes, but I think you need to open the rest of your presents," she replied, pushing the bigger box toward him.

He tore off the wrapping paper and tilted his head as he studied the box. "Um, what is it?"

"It's a printer," she said. "You can hook your camera or your phone up to it and print your pictures and have physical copies of them. And then…"

She handed him his last gift and he opened it to reveal a photo album as she said: "You can keep them in there so you can look at them whenever you want."

He smiled softly, his blue eyes shining as he looked up at her. "Thank you, Regina."

"You're welcome," she said, gently placing her hand on his arm. "I'm going to support whatever hobby you want to pursue – as long as it's not stupid, reckless and could get you killed."

Robin laughed, setting his present down and pulling her into his arms. "My days of doing stupid, reckless and potentially life-ending things are in the past. All I want to do is grow old with you and our children."

She wrapped her arms around him, letting him hold her close as she whispered: "I like the sound of that."

He kissed the side of her head. "While I love my presents, do you know what I would love even more?"

"What?" she asked, pulling back a bit to look him in the eyes.

"You naked in our bed," he replied, smirking.

She bit her lip, something tightening deep inside her. "Will you be naked too?"

"Of course I will," he replied. "After all, we have the house to ourselves with the children elsewhere for the night. Might as well enjoy it."

"You'll get no argument from me," she told him, kissing him again. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him, letting him carry her to their bedroom for some birthday night fun.

* * *

From that moment on, Robin always had his camera on him. Regina put an enchantment on it to keep it from breaking though battles in Storybrooke became more uncommon after they defeated the Black Fairy. She adjusted to being mayor of a town that no longer experienced the same day over and over and continued to win the support of the people who had once hated her. Robin and the Merry Men took responsibility for Storybrooke's parks and forest, helping more people learn to enjoy the great outdoors. While most of the Merry Men still lived together in Jefferson's lodge – renamed the Merry Men Lodge – Robin returned to her home every night. There they raised their children together and became a family, forging a new life together.

And Robin seemed determine to document every second of it. She watched him taking pictures whenever he could and had taken over a section of a bookcase in their living room with just his photo albums.

He wasn't shy about showing off his pictures to everyone. There were plenty of shots of the outdoors and Robin was becoming a great nature photographer. She even had one he took of the park during the winter, with snow covering the trees and grass and the lake frozen over, blown up and framed. It hung in Town Hall and many people complimented Robin on it.

There were also plenty of pictures of their family too. Roland absolutely loved posing for pictures and Henry even grudgingly let Robin take some of him. But his favorite subject was his daughter, documenting every milestone in Riley's life. Her smiling face filled page after page of his photo album, from a newborn who mostly slept to a squirming infant to a tiny tot now sitting up and crawling after her brothers.

Robin was such a proud and doting father. It made her love him more.

And so when he proposed, she had accepted despite having once sworn off ever marrying again. She knew that marriage to him wouldn't be as confining as it had been with Leopold. Robin was going to be her partner every step of the way and would do everything to help her continue moving forward, not hold her back.

It was cliché, but she believed they were going to live happily ever after.

* * *

One night not long after their engagement, Robin took the boys camping for some father-son bonding and Regina had a fun mother-daughter night in with Riley. After a fun evening of playing together and sharing a picnic dinner, Riley fell asleep and Regina pampered herself. She had a long soak in a bubble bath and then gave herself a facial as she lounged on her bed. Eventually, she mustered the energy to change into her pajamas and get ready for a good night's sleep.

As she climbed into bed, she reached over to turn off the lamp and accidentally knocked over her cellphone. Groaning, she reached down to grab it but realized it had slid under the bed. She cursed herself as she slid to the floor, reaching under to retrieve the phone. As she grabbed it, her hand hit into something hard. She frowned, wondering what else was under the bed and she pulled it out along with her phone.

It was a wooden box with a lid and was not much bigger than a hatbox. There were no markings on it and she frowned, wondering why it was under her bed. For a moment, she wondered if someone had broken in and left it there to punish her for some past wrong. Was this a precursor for another villain to come and try to get vengeance on her?

Was her family in trouble?

Thinking of Riley sleeping in the next room and wondering if she needed to call Emma for back up, Regina did a quick scan of the box. She found no magical traces on it so it didn't seem to be cursed. There was no hint of explosives either but she still didn't want to take any chances. She carefully picked it up and carried it out to her yard. Regina set the box down and then retreated to what she hoped was a safe distance and used her magic to remove the lid. She ducked, waiting for something to happen.

Nothing.

Still cautious, Regina crept closer to the box and knelt to look inside it. Confusion filled her when she realized it was filled with photographs. She picked it up and carried it back inside, settling on the couch to figure out what was going on.

The box was almost full and when she took a few out, she realized they were all of her. For a moment, her heart jumped into her throat as she wondered if someone was following her and had left the box to show her how much the person knew about her life: where she lived, where she worked, where she frequented, who her friends were, who her children were and their normal routines…

Common sense took over, pushing her paranoia aside. No one was stalking her, she realized. She could tell that while many of the shots were taken without her knowing, the person taking them was still very close to her. It had to be someone she already trusted, someone who wouldn't dream of hurting her or her family. As she looked through the pictures, she realized it had to be the one person who didn't appear in any of the pictures.

Robin.

He had obviously taken the pictures with either his phone or his camera. She then frowned, wondering why he was keeping them in a box and not in an album like all the others. And she couldn't help but feel self-conscious about the fact that they were all of her.

She knew Robin loved her and thought she was beautiful. And the fact he took so many pictures of her spoke volumes about that. It seemed she was easily his favorite subject…but these photographs were still hidden in a box under their bed.

Why?

It was late and Regina started to feel guilty about going through something that Robin had clearly been keeping private. She placed the pictures back in the box and returned the lid. She knew it would bother her until she brought it up to him and wondered how she would do that.

Yawning, she decided to sleep on it and figure out what to do in the morning. Carrying the box with her, she returned to her bedroom and climbed back into bed, turning off the lights and letting sleep carry her off.

* * *

Regina and Riley enjoyed a quiet morning together. They had breakfast together before dancing around the living room to some music together. After finally changing out of their pajamas, she put Riley in her stroller and took her to the park for a little fun outside. She let the little girl run around to her heart's content and then walked her back home, the little girl falling asleep almost instantly.

They walked up just as Robin pulled into the driveway with the boys. It had been an adventure to teach him to drive but once he got the hang of it, he had proven to be an even safer driver than her. And he was always a stickler for safety when he took the boys camping and so they climbed out without any scratches or injuries to them.

Henry and Roland greeted her with big hugs and Robin leaned over to kiss her cheek. She studied her three men and could tell they were grimy as they smelled a little on the funky side. Crinkling her nose, she said: "I'm so happy to have you home but you all need showers and baths ASAP."

"Mum is right," Robin said, clapping both boys on the shoulder. "Let's go get cleaned up and then we can tell her all about our trip."

She mouthed _thank you_ to him as he guided the boys into the house. Regina followed, taking Riley out of the stroller before folding it back up with her magic. As she carried the little girl up to her room, she heard two showers running and saw Roland standing outside the other bathroom, waiting for her to help him run his bath.

Once Roland was cleaned, she helped him change. He climbed into bed and, within seconds of laying down, fell into a sound sleep. Regina chuckled as she covered him with his blankets, kissing his forehead. "Sweet dreams, sweetheart," she whispered.

After checking on Henry and finding him asleep as well, she returned to her room and expected to find Robin napping as well. Instead, he was still awake but lying on their bed in a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants with wet hair. He smiled as she approached. "I take it by the silence that everyone else is napping?"

"Yes," she said, climbing onto the bed and wrapping her arms around him. "It seems all that fresh air knocked them right out."

He chuckled before pressing a kiss to her hair, holding her close. She rested her head against his shoulder, taking a deep breath of him. Though he had just showered, he still smelled strongly of forest. It was a scent she had come to enjoy and even found comfort in the grounding earthly smell.

They cuddled like that for some time and Regina wondered if Robin had fallen asleep. She was just about to look up when he said: "I hope you and Riley had a lot of fun together."

"We did," she said, smiling. "But we missed you."

"We missed you two as well. I can't wait to show you all the pictures we took," he told her proudly.

That jarred her memory and she sat up, pulling away with him as she bit her lip. "Speaking of your pictures, I found something under the bed."

He tilted his head before saying matter-of-factly: "You found my box."

"Yes," she replied. "I wasn't sure what it was so I opened it and then I saw all the pictures and I noticed they were all of me."

"They are," he said.

She bit her lip before asking: "Is there a reason why they are in a box under our bed and not a photo album?"

He leaned forward and her heart pounded. Though she trusted him, her mind still betrayed her and told her that there was something about her he was ashamed of, that he wanted to hide away from other people.

Robin studied her before climbing off the bed. He knelt and reached under the bed, pulling out the box. Getting back on, he set the box between them and then took her hands in his. "Did you look at them?"

"I really just eyeballed them," she told him. "I'm sorry if I invaded your privacy. You know how much I respect boundaries."

"I do. And that's not why I asked that question," he told her.

She frowned, confused. "Then why did you?"

He removed the lid and dumped the contents of the box on the bed. "There are a couple reasons why I keep these in a box, hidden away. One is because I'm a selfish git who doesn't really want to share you with anyone else any more than I have to."

Regina let out a soft laugh as her cheeks heated up, no longer able to meet his eyes. It always amazed her how easily he complimented her and how much praise he lavished on her, genuine praise he meant from the bottom of his heart. But it was still praise she didn't yet feel worthy of, not with her past and her heart still bearing dark marks from it.

"The other reason," he continued, cupping her cheek and guiding her until she looked him in the eyes. "The other reason is for moments like now."

His eyes held so much love and adoration, she wanted to look away again. But he held her gaze in place as he continued. "I know that you do not hold yourself in the same high esteem I do. Most people have convinced you that you are not worthy of love or friendship or even kindness. But you are, Regina. You absolutely are worthy of all of those and it breaks my heart that you see yourself the way all those people see you."

"Maybe they are seeing the real me," she whispered, feeling tears prick her eyes.

"No," he said, conviction in his tone. "I'm not saying we need to forget your past or erase it. That's not fair to anyone, especially you. Your past made you the woman you are today. But they still only see the woman you were and not the woman you've become."

He slid his hand down and returned her attention to the pictures resting between them. "I've been saving these pictures so that when you need to, you can look at them and see yourself the way I see you. So go ahead. Look at them."

"Robin," she protested with a sigh, not sure what any of this would prove.

"Here, look at this one," he said, sorting through the pictures and picking one up. He held it out for her. "It's one of my favorites."

She pressed her lips together as she took the picture. "I imagine all of these are your favorites."

He gave her a pointed look and tapped on the photograph. She sighed before looking down, studying the image before her. It showed her sitting topless in the rocking chair they had in the nursery. Riley, still clearly a newborn, laid on her chest in nothing but a diaper. Both had their eyes closed and there was a soft smile on Regina's face.

After defeating Hades and Zelena, Robin and Regina had then focused on merging their families and taking care of them. She had spent many nights with Riley doing skin-to-skin contact so that they could bond as mother and daughter. It had been comforting and exhilarating to have a baby in her life again. Regina's heart swelled with the love she felt for the little girl she had first distanced herself from, unsure of what role she was to play in Riley's life. She couldn't imagine not being Riley's mother now.

"Does that person look like a monster?" Robin asked softly. "Or does she look like a mother who loves her daughter with every fiber of her being?"

He didn't wait for the answer before he handed her another picture. "Now look at this one."

She took it and looked at the image. It was her at Emma and Hook's wedding, dressed in the tight white and black dress Robin still never got a chance to peel off her like he wanted. She was laughing at something, her eyes bright as she seemed to be caught mid-twirl. Her dark curls billowed around her and she almost looked like a model from a magazine.

"And this one," he said, handing her another picture. It showed her asleep in their bed, her hair a mess but a soft smile on her face.

Robin held out still another picture. "Now this."

It showed her leading a meeting of the town council, sitting between Emma and Archie as she listened to someone's proposal. Her eyes were down, reading the paper before her. But her head was tilted up just slightly so she could hear the person as they spoke. She was deep in contemplation, no doubt working out if the proposal was feasible and if not, how she could let the person down gently.

He kept handing her picture after picture, letting her view each one. They captured her in different places – her office, the Charmings' farm, Emma's house, Hook's ship, the park, their house – and in different outfits – her pantsuits, the dresses she wore on their date nights, her pajamas, the oversized sweaters and jeans she only wore at home. She had been frozen on film in the middle of a myriad of activities, from running the town to mothering her children to just relaxing with her friends. It took her breath away as she saw how many moments of just her Robin felt was worthy of being captured forever.

"You know I think you are beautiful no matter what," he said. "And there are moments when I'm so overwhelmed by all the different facets of your beauty, the only thing I feel I can do is take a picture of that moment to cherish forever."

Tears filled her eyes and a few started to roll down her cheeks. Many people had told her she was beautiful but most of them – especially her mother and Leopold – had focused only on her physical appearance. She had to endure torture at the hands of several maids tasked with keeping her as beautiful as the king wanted – an unending regime of creams and powders applied twice daily. She had to sit still for what felt like hours as her hair was brushed, tugged, twisted and pinned into a pleasing style that usually left her with a headache throughout the day. While her dresses were of the highest quality and were gorgeous, they were also confining and made it difficult for her to do anything but sweat and struggle to breathe. Tight shoes that made walking painful and heavy jewelry often completed her look. Everyone looked at her but no one ever truly saw her, never bothered to get to know the person under the makeup, hair and layers of clothes.

During her marriage, Regina learned the power her beauty and body held over people and she weaponized it. She started to dress in ways that flaunted how sexy she was, finding a power that made her feel confident in a way she had never felt before. Regina offered only her body, knowing it was the only thing anyone ever truly wanted from her, and kept her heart hidden away in order to protect herself. She thought it was for the best but now she realized she was just continuing the hurt inflicted on her by her mother and husband, only she was the one hurting herself then.

She continued that trend when she created Storybrooke, though she found the clothing of this world more freeing than everything she had worn in the Enchanted Forest. But she still saw her beauty as a weapon and only skin deep.

Henry was the first person after Daniel and her father who didn't care how she looked and just loved her for her. Though they had had their rough spot, she knew they had come out the other side even stronger. She had let him see the real her and he still loved her. The same was true for Robin, who never flinched no matter how much of her dark past he saw and still looked at her with the same look in his eyes – full of love and acceptance.

Just like he looked at her now.

Robin reached out and brushed some of her tears away. "I know too many people have hurt you in the past and you are still healing from that. I know it's a struggle for you every day. Some days are easier than others. On the days that aren't so easy, know that you can always come up here and look in this box to remind yourself that you are just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside."

"I am so lucky that you are my soulmate," she said, closing the gap between them to kiss him. She poured all the love she felt for him into the kiss and he returned it in equal measure.

They ended the kiss and he ran his fingers through her hair. "Why don't you go draw yourself a bath? I'll listen for the children."

"I think they're down for at least another hour," she said, setting a timer on her phone. While the bath sounded tempting, she wanted to do something else. "I'm gonna change into my pajamas and I think we should nap."

He smiled, starting to put the pictures back in his box. "That sounds like a good plan."

She quickly changed back into her pajamas and climbed into bed. Robin did the same after returning the box to its spot under the bed. He pulled the covers over them and she curled against him, resting her head on his chest as he held her close.

"Sweet dreams, my love," he told her, kissing her head. And as she closed her eyes, she knew she had a smile on her face and she was certain her dreams were going to be filled with nothing but happiness.

And soon, so would her life.


End file.
